Conrad Black to be resentenced in June for fraud

By Annie Sweeney | Tribune reporterJanuary 13, 2011

(Terrence…)

Conrad Black, the wealthy Canadian native who was chairman of a Chicago-based newspaper empire, will be resentenced in June on two counts that survived an appellate court’s review of his 2007 fraud conviction, a federal judge decided today.

Black, 66, will be resentenced on June 24 by U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve, the federal judge who presided over his trial.

Black appeared at today’s 15-minute status hearing at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse downtown, once again greeting the throngs of reporters who have tracked his criminal trial. As he left with his attorneys, Black told the reporters he was “surprised in the interest’’ in the case. His lawyers have said they plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We’re all waiting on the Supreme Court,’’ he said.

In October the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago affirmed Black's guilty verdicts on single counts of defrauding Hollinger International Inc. and obstruction of justice but vacated two of his fraud convictions.

He was freed on bail in July pending his appeal after the U.S. Supreme Court in June sharply limited the controversial federal “honest services” fraud law, a key part of the case against him.

Black and three other senior Hollinger executives were convicted of depriving the company and its shareholders of their honest services, as well as looting millions of dollars through fraudulent non-compete agreements.

Hollinger once owned more than 300 newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times, Jerusalem Post and Canada's National Post. Black was originally sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison and had served about two years when he was released after the Supreme Court ruling.

Federal charges against Hollinger executive Mark Kipnis were dropped in court today in light of the Supreme Court decision in June.

The government indicated they would drop the charges on the other two executives later.